Enrollment

You can enroll in the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) every year during open season. You can also enroll outside of open season if you are newly eligible or experience a qualifying life event (QLE). Once you enroll in a FEDVIP dental and/or vision plan, your coverage will automatically continue each year.

When can I enroll?

Open season

The Federal Benefits Open Season (or open season) is your annual opportunity to enroll in, change, or cancel a FEDVIP dental and/or vision plan. Each year, open season runs from the Monday of the second full work week in November through the Monday of the second full work week in December.

Coverage effective date: If you enroll during open season, your FEDVIP coverage will be effective on January 1, the start of the next plan year.

Once you enroll in a FEDVIP dental and/or vision plan, your coverage will automatically continue each year. You can make changes to your plan during open season or if you experience a qualifying life event (QLE).

How do I enroll?

To enroll in a FEDVIP plan, go to the Programs section of this site and select "Enroll" under Dental and Vision.

If you are already enrolled in one type of FEDVIP coverage (either dental or vision) and want to enroll in the other type, you must log into your My BENEFEDS account and select "Enroll" for dental or vision coverage on your dashboard.

Enrollment process

Answer questions to confirm your eligibility for FEDVIP. If you are a uniformed service member, this part of the process will help us determine if you are eligible to enroll in FEDVIP dental coverage, FEDVIP vision coverage, or both.

After you create your account, you will automatically go to your My BENEFEDS dashboard where you can select to enroll in dental or vision coverage. Available plans and premiums will display based on where you live. Choose a plan and add your eligible family members (if applicable).

When your enrollment is complete, a confirmation page will display with your plan and premium, coverage effective date, premium effective date, and covered family members (if applicable). You can print this confirmation for your records. We will also send it to you if you provided an email address.

Enrolling family members

When you enroll in a FEDVIP dental and/or vision plan, you have a choice between three enrollment types, two of which allow you to add eligible family members to your coverage.

If you're enrolling in dental and vision coverage, you do not have to select the same enrollment type for both.

Already enrolled?

Newly eligible

If you are newly eligible for FEDVIP (for example, you're a newly hired Federal employee or newly retired uniformed service member), you have 60 days from the date you became eligible to enroll in a FEDVIP dental and/or vision plan.

When you enroll, you must select that you are newly eligible and provide your eligibility date—your enrollment may be voided if you misrepresent yourself as newly eligible.

60-day enrollment period

You can only enroll in FEDVIP during your 60-day enrollment period. Once you enroll in a plan, you can't make changes to or cancel it even if you're still within the 60 days—you must wait until the next open season or you experience a QLE.

Coverage effective date: If you enroll outside of open season, your FEDVIP coverage will be effective the first day of the first pay period following the date we receive your enrollment.

During open season: If you become newly eligible for FEDVIP during open season, you have two options: 1) you can submit a newly eligible enrollment for the remainder of the current plan year or 2) you can submit an open season enrollment for the next plan year. If you submit an open season enrollment, your coverage will be effective on January 1, the start of the next plan year.

Dual enrollments

Dual enrollment is prohibited by FEDVIP regulations, which means that you and your family members cannot be covered under more than one FEDVIP dental or vision plan at the same time.

Self-and-family plans cover all of your eligible family members even if they are not added to your coverage.

You must certify that you and your eligible family members will not be dually enrolled before submitting your FEDVIP enrollment. You should not submit your enrollment if you or your family members are or will be dually enrolled.

If BENEFEDS discovers that you or any of your eligible family members are dually enrolled without prior authorization from BENEFEDS, one of the enrollments will be canceled back to the beginning of the initial coverage effective date, premiums will be refunded, and benefits must be repaid.

Examples:

A enrollee may have self-and-family dental coverage under plan A that covers his or her two children. The enrollee's spouse (who is also eligible for FEDVIP) may not like plan A and enrolls in self-and-family coverage under plan B that also covers the same two children. This is considered a dual enrollment because under the self-and-family dental plan A, the spouse and children are automatically covered, even if they were not added at the time of enrollment.

An enrollee may have self-only dental coverage under plan A. The enrollee's spouse may not like plan A and enroll in self-and-family coverage under plan B and include their two children. This is considered a dual enrollment because under the self-and-family plan B, the enrollee is automatically covered even if he or she wasn't added at the time of enrollment.